One day in the life of the English language : a microcosmic usage handbook

Cioffi, Frank L. 1951- (Author).

Summary: Generations of student writers have been subjected to usage handbooks that proclaim, "This is the correct form. Learn it"--Books that lay out a grammar, but don't inspire students to use it. By contrast, this antihandbook handbook, presenting some three hundred sentences drawn from the printed works of a single, typical day in the life of the language-December 29, 2008-tries to persuade readers that good grammar and usage matter. Using real-world sentences rather than invented ones, One Day in the Life of the English Language gives students the motivation to apply grammatical principles correctly and efficiently. Frank Cioffi argues that proper form undergirds effective communication and ultimately even makes society work more smoothly, while nonstandard English often marginalizes or stigmatizes a writer. He emphasizes the evolving nature of English usage and debunks some cherished but flawed grammar precepts. Is it acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition? It is. Can you start a sentence with a conjunction? You can. OK to split an infinitive? No problem. A grammar and usage handbook like no other, One Day in the Life of the English Language features accessible chapters divided into "Fundamentals," "Fine Tuning," and "Deep Focus," allowing readers to select a level most suited to their needs. It also includes a glossary, a teachers' guide, and a section refuting some myths about digital-age English.

Record details

ISBN: 9780691165073
ISBN: 0691165076
ISBN: 9781400865758
ISBN: 1400865751
Physical Description: 1 online resource
remote
Computer data.
Publisher: Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2015]

Content descriptions

General Note:	CatMonthString:september.21 Multi-User.
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Navigation Tips -- Introduction -- The Starting Idea: You and Your Audience -- Preview of the Following Pages -- December 29, 2008, as History -- Two Disclaimers -- On Using Sentences from the Real World -- Formal Usage-Its Rules and Value -- "If you don't have grammar, you don't have sense" -- 1 Actants, Actions, Ongoing States: Nouns, Verbs, and the Sentences They Form -- Why Learn the Parts of Speech? -- Fundamentals -- Fine Tuning -- Deep Focus -- 2 Words That Modify and Orient: Adjectives, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Prepositions, Articles, Interjections -- The Power of Small Words Well Deployed -- Adjectives -- Adverbs -- Conjunctions -- Prepositions -- Articles -- Interjections -- 3 Who Is He/She? Pronouns -- A Whole Chapter on Pronouns? -- Fundamentals -- Fine Tuning -- Deep Focus -- 4 Punctuation, Part I-The Comma: Promiscuous Uses -- Introduction: Punctuation Substitutes for Oral Emphases, Facial Expressions, and Body Language -- Fundamentals -- Fine Tuning -- Deep Focus -- 5 Punctuation, Part II-The Colon, Semicolon, and More Mysteries of Punctuation -- The Colon and Semicolon -- The Apostrophe -- The Dash -- The Quotation Mark -- End Punctuation and Combining Sentences -- 6 Diction: Sentences as Clockwork -- On the Interconnectedness of Words -- Fundamentals -- A Microconclusion -- Appendix I: Fifteen Myths of Digital-Age English -- Appendix II: Using This Book to Teach College Writing: A Microguide -- Fifty Key Terms: A Microglossary -- Works Cited -- General Sources -- December 29, 2008, Examples -- Index.
Type of Computer File or Data Note:	Text (HTML), electronic book.
System Details Note:	Mode of access: Internet.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction Note:	Access requires VIU IP addresses and is restricted to VIU students, faculty and staff. Access restricted by subscription.
Issuing Body Note:	Made available online by JSTOR.
Source of Description Note:	Print version record.